Saturday, April 12, 2008

Let me count the ways.

As Elizabeth Barrett Browning said, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." I could not phrase it any better. As you can see, the yarn we received from Fourth Coast Fibers has the most yummy colors. I want to make socks out of every color.

Here is how they say it: "We harvest our own locally available dye material in an ecologically responsible manner. The color sources we purchase are also sustainably harvested to insure a right livelihood for villages in the countries where they are gathered. Peoples are remembering traditional ways of living and working in harmony with the earth, as they revive renewable practices of growing and harvesting dye sources for artists around the world."

The two Kathys use plants, barks, and bugs to dye their yarn. This process takes them approximately 2 to 7 days, along with another 2 days to prepare the dye bath. Once that happens, the fiber will simmer and steep for at least 24 hours. They assure me that once the weather warms up (it will happen), that we will be able to have blues and purples.

At this point, they are using the Louet Gems Fingering Weight yarn for their dying. Which means you can match their yarns with the Louet Gems we already have.

Thistledown Shoppe - located in Suttons Bay, MI, in Leelanau County, 15 miles from Traverse City

May the sun bring you new energies by day,may the moon softly restore you by night,may the rain wash away any worries you may have.May gentle breezes refresh your soul...And, all the days of your life,may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty.

3/50 Project

Helmet Liners for our military

Helmet Liners

We are coordinating with other yarn shops throughout the nation in an effort to make enough helmet liners for all deployed members of our military.

Each helmet liner is made of 100% soft wool, using military regulations; right down to the correct colors. The head gear protects troops from the environment, keeps them warm in the cold nighttime desert air, wicks away sweat from 120 degree daytime heat, keeps the sand away from their faces, and forms a needed cushion between their head and the helmet they must wear.

The shoppe will have Nature Spun worsted wool and Mission Falls 1824 wool in the required colors of tan, black, gray, brown, and olive. If you chose to knit from your stash, the yarn must be 100% wool - no alpaca, lama, mohair, or acrylic. Gauge is also very important.

We will be accepting the liners and then sending them on to Yarn Heaven in Texas, where Tarie, the owner, will pass them on to the four military bases in her area. Different units deploy at different times, so she will be handing them over to the military in groups. We will be continuing to collect head liners until they are no longer needed.

If you wish, a personal message, inserted into the head liner, is appreciated by the troops.

If you are a crocheter, go here for your pattern and the knitters should go here for their pattern.

This is a video of Tarie with some of the military talking about the liners.

Community Service Projects

Knitting for our Children (November, 2009) - I am actively involved with the Leelanau County Family Coordinating Council (we catch folks who fall through the cracks) and there are families that could use some goodies for the cold weather - hats, scarves, mittens - you get the idea. Being the fiber snob I have become, I like wool, but I also realize that not everyone agrees with that. So whatever you choose to knit, label it for fiber content and care. We will continue to take donations year around and will turn the items over to Parenting Communities (they work directly with the families). And let me add that we will also happily accept items for the children's older sisters, brothers, and parents.

Leelanau County Jail Inmate Art Project - Inmates, volunteers, and staff teach inmates the arts of quilting, knitting, crocheting, sewing, and baking. Help them out with donations of materials and/or your time. They can accept everything but metal needles. Donations may be dropped off at the shoppe. Contact us if you need more information.

4-H Sale - the second weekend of every August we sell fiber related items. 100% of the proceeds go to our 4-H.